Opening sequence - Story boarding

During the planning period of our opening sequence, we have been continuously thinking about effective ways of how we could approach the creation of the opening sequence. We have adjusted our ideas during this process as we have had ideas popping into our heads which we think would be appropriate to incorporate into it. To begin the process we looked at existing products for ensures I have an understanding of our chosen genre. We then collated and thought of some ideas however we then questioned how we would remember and incorporate all these. In the end we decided that the use of a story board would be much more effective, therefore due to this decision me and my group all sat down and collaborated on ideas and create an effective story board. We thought about the initial ideas and used the best ideas that would ensure we achieved the most appropriate opening sequence to suit the target market.

 

Creativity in post production

After we have filmed all our shots and clips we will then need to go onto editing to ensure we meet our desired effect as well as we can; to help us to this we will use final cut pro to edit the videos to create one flowing opening scene. We will be using ken burns to create a zoomed focus on the front door initially as this will create curiosity to what is behind that door also the door will open to the mystery that is about to occur during the opening scene. Ken burns will be a very significant effect when we are editing as it will allow us to focus on specific items and this could be a hint for later on in the opening sequence or a hint to what would happen in the rest of the film if we were to create one. Black and white could be used to suggest the time of this opening scene to be set also we could use black and white when using flash back to suggest what happened in the past (hints). Flash forwards or flash backs would be effective for us as a flash back could just what has happened in this house before this new family moved in to link to the mystery of the house. Finally transition, we could use fade as this could signify the fading memories of this houses history. This would link to the intrigue of the audience and there interest in the house. Also we could use a very focused transition for example Iris to hint that the object or thing focused on is very important within the opening scene.

Creativity in production

Will we are producing our opening scene we will use a wide range of shot types and transition to grasp our desired effect of mystery and intrigue. Firstly, we will use an establishing shot at the very beginning of our opening sequence. We believe this would be effective as it would create mystery and intrigue also we think it would make the audience ask what is different about this house. Also we will be using extreme close up shots on the girls face to show her emotions but before we show this close up we will create a long shot to show her in her surrounding environment and her reaction to it. The transitions we use will vary as there will be some sudden noises which will require a quick transition to suggest shock and a scared atmosphere. But at other point we will use a smooth transition to suggest a calm but intense atmosphere surrounding the house. Overall we will be using a variety of shot types and transitions to create a real sense of mystery and makes the audience question what will be happening next.

Creativity in convention

I will use creativity in conventions though the use of many different camera shots and angles also the use of movement with the camera; the editing will also add to the creativity linking to the setting and narrative as well. We will be starting off with an establishing shot of the location this will immediately create a sense of mystery within the beginning also we are planning on using final cut pro to edit it to add the he mystery of the first shot we will be using ken burns to zoom onto the door. They diegetic sounds of the natural environment will make it link in to the themes of physiological horrors as they are set in realistic locations this will also create intrigue immediately, There will be rolling leaves and the sound of the wind and anything else that will be happening in that place at that time, However the sounds once entered the house will change completely to suggest mystery. A very key convention of a horror film is the lighting and this will be used to our advantage when filming the whole horror scene. The only problem with this convention (lighting) is that it could cause the filming to look less professional and of a bad quality due to blurry lighting However we can work through this with editing to meet our desired effect we will be aiming for. Finally, the movement of the camera will be essential to the creation of the opening scene as we need to make the narrative clear and if there is no movement the narrative won’t be clear.

Distributors of the Horror Genre

I have done some research into different distributors that categories different genres however I have found 3 specific ones that focus on the horror genre.

Hammer production

This distributor was founded by William Hinds, Hammer is best known for a series of Gothic “Hammer Horror” films made in the 1950’s until the 1970’s. However during the late 1960’s and 1970’s the saturation of horror films by competitors and the loss of American funding forces changes to the Hammer formula and production.  They produced films including Dracula, The mummy and the Curse of Frankenstein.

 

Rogue production
Kavanugh (the current owner) bought it from Universal around 4 years ago it is like a lot of the other companies out there in that it produces plenty of non-horror titles like the documentary sensation Catfish, but is just as well known for making horror movies at a specific budget level. They also do some remakes like Faces of Death, The company spends most of its time on original material that might possibly become a franchise like the strangers.

Previous films are Seed of Chucky, Cry Wolf, The Return and The Strangers

Lionsgate production
It is a Canadian American company that was formed in Vancouver, British Columbaria on the 3^rd July 1997 and has headquarters in Santa Monica, California. From the November 2013 it is the most commercially successful mini major film distribution company in North America. They are a film company that makes, produce and distributes horror film

Films including: The last exorcism, the cabin in the woods.

Blumhouse productions

It is an American horror movie production company which was founded by Jason Blum. Blumhouse produces small and low-budget horror movies. It also produces comedy, sci-fi but several horrors.

These include the Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Purge, and Sinister franchises.

We have chosen to use the "plum house" productions for our opening scene as they were successful with paranormal activity and that is the sort of film we will be producing.

Opening sequence - Location, props and font

Location
The home owner gave permission of my group to film outside and inside their house as they knew it was for educational purposes.

Our location will be a house, we have decided this because after look at existing films of the physiological horror like the conjuring and other we have notices they are set in houses that have an old look to them. The house we will be using to film our opening scene is an old Victorian terrace; it contains a basement which will play a significant part. The house is surrounded by trees and other houses with a similar look to them which would be significant if we were to do a full film. The house will be the only location we will be using as this will help us meet our desired effect which will be to provoke fear with in the audience.

This is the old looking house we will be using within out opening sequence. 

This is the front door to the house that will play a part in our opening scene when it is opening or knocked on my a mysterious character.

This is the spooky basement which is scary on a day to day basis so when we are filming it will be even more intriguing as we will use different sounds and lighting to seem scarier than it already is.

                                                                

These stairs are known for creaking which will come in very handy when we are filming our opening scene.

This is located at the top of the stairs so when we are filming we can use different shot types to make the audience sense the mystery as they are approaching this bed room from the stairs.

Props

Due to our opening sequence being a physiological horror the props we will be using will be house hold items and this will also link to our location being a house; this will further on the idea of realism.  Also if some of the props move they will create a paranormal effect with the sounds they will make 

This mirror will have a huge role in our opening sequence as this is where a mysterious shadow will first be scene and this is a hint for the later on in the opening sequence.

These curtains have an old look to them due to the colour also they will link into the mystery of the shadow that will appear in the mirror.

Font
As a group we looked at some existing physiological horror opening trailers and looked at the fonts they used.
Paranormal activity-

The font used in this is a very simple bold white font that is contrasting to the dark back ground of the opening sequence, we could use this type of font as our plan is to create something that is quite dark and spooky to connote how haunted the house is.


The Purge

The font used in The Purge again is a simple white bold font type, meaning that this could suggest ghostly features but also to ensure it stands out, After looking at this example and comparing it to Paranormal activity I have noticed that they are both white and bold meaning they stand out to the audience.

As a group we liked the thought of a type writer font as the font links to the realism of an old house , We will be using an old house hold type writer font. We are using this as we believe it is an old fashioned item with an old fashioned font. In addition it  will link to the paranormal and the ideology of the opening sequence. Due to the house having an old look to it the type writer would fit in perfectly. However due to limitations on final cut pro we might need to slightly adjust how it looks slightly but to still fit in with the old house feel.
Here we will also be challenging the convention of a typical horror film by changing the font type to the usual used. We asked our target audience what they thought of the type writer font and what they thought of it, The feedback was that it fit in much better with our ideas so far rather than using the same as existing horrors.

                  

Preliminary task planning , video and evaluation

When planning for our preliminary task we first started by discussing our ideas and drawing  a rough sketch of our ideas to get a grasp of the idea in reality ; we started a story board to put ideas down with extra details of aspects like sound and shot types that we would use for these specific shots. Our story board allows us to develop our ideas on that specific shot and makes it easier when we are filming as we know what we are doing with that shot type.

Filming

During our filming it went quite smoothly as we have done a story board beforehand , By doing a story board it helped us to organise and have an over view of what we need to include and when we are going to include these. Also storyboard makes us a group feel more prepared and organised while filming. Due to us specifying what type of shot type we will be using it helped speed up the filing process. In addition this will also help when we go onto to editing as we will already have a brief idea of what kind of sounds we will be using.

At the beginning of filming we had a bit of a struggle to set up the correct lighting and scene however we compromised and shut all the blinds and then decided to turn on one specific set of lighting behind the camera to ensure the light wasn’t too bright. Then on we were sufficiently filming including all the required shot types. However after an hour of filing we then realised we had been filming with eh incorrect angle of portrait instead of landscape. But we didn’t intend to as the Ipad screen span itself. However due to our story board we could then just go back and re film it all within a short space of time as we knew what went wrong and how to correct but also we had our storyboard to follow so we didn’t miss anything out that we had filmed previously. After these complications our filming went to plan and was very sufficient and quick but also to a high quality as we were using the required shot types which are shot reverse shot , match on action and 180 degree rule. To ensure we had done the filming to the best of our ability we watched over each cut to see if there was anything else we could do to improve it to make it more effective. 

We are now going to go onto edit this short clip to add to it , this will help us to also link it in more with the horror genre that we have chosen.

Editing

After our filming we began to edit our clips to create our video for a required prelim task, 

Firstly we had to import our media from the I pad; we had issues doing this as they simply wouldn’t import off the I pad onto the IMac, However the managed to get them onto the IMac after a couple of attempts... I was frustrating however we got it done, we then imported them onto final cut pro
(which we managed on the first attempt), after this we then ordered them on our timeline on this software; our story board helped us with this as we already know the order. 
After we managed to upload it we then put them all in order on our timeline we created on final cut pro , I was worried as I didn’t think that the quality of the filming on the I pad would be very good however I could improve this when editing. After it was all in order on our time line we watched through it and saw where we had made filming mistakes and deleted them out built then we also watch it through again to see what we needed to crop out of the cut to ensure it flowed smoothly and there wasn’t any jumps, we then notice a few more filming error for example a thumb on the corner of the screen from the camera girl so we used to trim and crop tool to get rid of these to ensure we have a high quality looking opening scene. After we had done all the cropping and trimming we then watched it through again to see our progress and to discuss what sound and colours we could edit into it now, firstly we were looking for available sound on final cut pro however there wasn’t any suitable ones that would be extremely affective apart from the back ground noise, So we did some research and found a website called sound bible which had many horror based sounds that we could interpret into our short clip. We have used a fading in and out of the sounds to ensure it doesn’t sound too blocky. We turned down the sound of the backing music when there was dialogue during out 180 degree and shot reverse shot camera angles, we used these shot types during dialogue as we thought it would be most effective for the audience, also we lowered the sound so that the focus is on the dialogue, this hints to it being a sign. Towards the end there is a very intriguing section where one of the people playing a part saw something so we added a different sound affect here to suggest there was something new in the room that added to the scare factor. 

 We had some specific requirements(shot reverse shot , match on action , 180 degree rule)  we had to meet during filming and during the editing process we could ensure that they were there. Due to our clip being horror based we needed to ensure that even we were editing we sued a suitable filter to make it look more intriguing and 'scary' , we did this by adding a black and white 50's look which added to the interest of it. 

After doing this task I have developed my knowledge on final cut pro and how to use it more efficiently and how to import sounds from other places , all these row skills I have learnt and the old once that I have developed I will be able to use in my final piece (opening scene)

 

These are screenshots of where we used shot reverse shot but we also incorporated 180 degree rule in here as well to ensure it came across as they were talking to each other



This is an example of when we use match on action to show her walking through the door.

Opening sequence - Character and costume

Character 1

We wanted to use a girl who is quite normal looking who doesn’t look suspicious in any. This relates to our conventions and theories we will use as we are going to have final girl in our sequence. And these are usually represented as normal and innocent.

Character profile

Name: Sally Wilson

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Appearance: Medium length brown hair, around 5”8, quite fair skin

Back ground of them: She is quite a normal girl who is very outgoing and likes to have a laugh with her friends but she doesn’t like to be the centre of attention. She likes to grasp a sense of mystery when finding out new things. Not so long ago her family moved house and she didn’t have any choice but to go with them; they were moving into an old house in the middle of no where.

Costume

The costume will link in to the girl being relatively normal and innocent so we won’t where anything to ravelling. So to achieve the correct costume we will need to gather a ‘normal’ costume/outfit. Purity will also be shown through virtually no make-up and plain face. She will also wear a simple looking jacket.



Make up
Her make up will be minimalistic with pale skin to suggest innocence and purity. He cheeks are naturally a pinky colour to show youth linking to the idea of innocence. She will wear a small amount of eye shadow and to finish it off she will wear a coat of mascara. Her lips will be a light pink colour to further imply an in-corrupt, moral character.
    

Character 2 
We decided to make an antagonist which would be a young girl who has lived in there house previously and died, she is trying to lead our main character (sally) out of the house to "safety" because she knows the history of the house and what it is really like, Also the spirits that live within the house. Sally thinks this girl to be a evil spirit within the house and she continues to get closer to the basement. The dead girl stands over Sally and whispers in a creepy voice safe your self and get out but Sally mistaken this to be evil.

She will have very distinct make up , A white face of make up/paint with quite dark eyes with mascara down her face signifying she may have been crying and her hair messily falling over her face, In addition she will wearing dark clothes to represent the darkness of death






I used a talent release form to ensure that the actors know the risk of filming with them but also what the filming involves and where it will be published to. Also that they agree to film and record with their presence but also that it will be published publicly for educational uses.

Opening scene ideas

My main contribution to the discussion was the representation and location.

Firstly, our title and location link very much, the name of our opening sequence would is going to be ‘our house’ and the location is going to be based in a variety p of places in a house. We chose a house as our setting and title as in a physiological horror they are commonly filmed in realistic, life like settings. And the title reflects this setting. To go into more depth of the location we will take an establishing shot of the front door and the main horror will be unfolded throughout the rooms on the house – basement, halls and bedrooms. These settings will all incorporate the horrors of the house. (Creaking floor boards, screaming and noises)

The representations we will be including will firstly be the victim of the horror (final girl) she will look normal and innocent. A day-to-day girl next door type of character who doesn’t expect horror to unfold in her house/home.

When we were deciding on props we researched what props types were used in existing physiological horrors, after doing this research we decided to use a mirror and the character will spot horror when looking at her reflection she will see a figure and things moving behind her. And other house hold items like doors, curtains, floor boards these will all add to the setting of a house and make it more realistic.

 

We used the same research technique of fonts and looked at existing ones , we also used the thought of house hold items and linked this in , as it is a old house we are going to use a font type of a type writer as it will link in with the house hold aspect of the opening scene.

 

Codes and conventions of sub-genre for horror

 

 

Gothic horror – codes and conventions of this sub- horror are presented in range of ways, firstly the settings are usually castles, dungeons ruined landscapes or extreme landscapes and magic or supernatural features. They will use a range of shot types to signify how the different characters are in their environment. There are also aspects of super nature so the character will link to this and is supernatural looking and will be going against science. The setting is usually a duality where it is split into two levels for example a house and a cellar. It also has representations of good and bad / light and dark sides. The characters are often shown in shadows of characters or in actually transformation.

Physiological horror – codes and conventions of this sub-horror of the characters are fear, guilt and belief and emotional instable, e.g. the shining. The time of supernatural builds tension and furthers the plot. The weapons you usually see aren’t actually physical weapons they tend to be more supernatural and psychological. The main setting is usually the same for all of these horror types and you will see them over and over again when watching physiological horror films. These types of setting seem realistic to the target audience as it allows them to be able to relate to the film on the same level. Sounds are common sounds and music however they don’t tend to match what is on the screen.

Slasher horror – codes and conventions include a lot of violence which usually is revolved around a serial killer killing or following a multiple amount of victims. They include a lot of mystery and suspense throughout this could also signify other hints and things throughout the film. One of the biggest conventions is the killer whose identity is generally revealed in the final scene .Before it is revealed they tend to look unrealistic and immoral. The weapons include things like axes, chain saws, arrows and more physical weapons like these. There is almost always a final girl/virgin who generally refuses to take part in any illegal or sexual activity.  The setting is generally a high school/ college , or the creepy house at the top of the hill or the hand out in the wood for example .

 

Action horror – This is the combination of evil and an event of supernatural also in these films they include gun fights and frantic chases. There are elements and themes that run through all action horror these are commonly zombies, demons, gore, vicious animals and vampires. An example of this is dawn of the dead.

 

Consent Form

As part of our AS level media course we need to research into the horror genre and its  audience, we will be asking you to show your opinion openly though out this focus group. The information we gather will be used to help plan our opening scene to a horror film and so your ideas are important in helping put together our final piece.

The feedback will be recorded and posted to YouTube as well as being posted to our blogs which can be viewed by the public so we have proof of our research into audience; this is for academic and educational purposes only. There is no right or wrong answer and all answers can be your own ideas and opinions. We would really appreciate your involvement in our focus group.

I am happy to participate in the focus group where my ideas will be recorded and used on blogger and YouTube for educational purposes.

Signed….....................................................................

Questionnaire

After our collaboration work we have now decided to undertake a questionnaire, this will help to ensure that we know more about our target market and what they want also what they prefer. The feedback we will receive will help us to add to our initial ideas to ensure it suits what they target market will be looking for. After we know what they want and prefer we can then ensure we produce a effective opening scene which will appeal to them as much as possible.

 

This is one of our 10 questionairre responses -

Audience research (focus group)

The role of audience research -

• Expectations of the audience
• Undesirable
• Predictability
• Purpose of watching - conventional / unconventional
• common interests
• Films they enjoyed and why?
• Characters - conventional - gender roles
• Opening sequence
• Connotations of name 

Me and my group will be conducting a focus group with around 6- 10 people , this will be beneficial to us as it will allow us to meet with our potential target market and see what they think of our ideas. From this we can gain a developed feedback of what they would change of our ideas or how we could make them more suitable for them. However before we undertake we will need to create a consent form for them to sign, this will include

 

·         A statement about the purpose of the focus group

·         Where this focus group evidence (video) will be featured

·         It is invited so there is the option to decline the invite

·         It is open to opinion with no right or wrong answers

·         A place to sign for agreement

Genre Conventions (Horror)

A genre convention is a typical or standard trope of plot, character, setting, icon, theme, or effect in a genre story.

My chosen genre is horror so the conventions may be very different compared to others.

·         Plot- Usually involves a more realistic situation; Plot twists are also often used as it is beneficial for the producers.

·         Character-Characters usually want to seek revenge. And are shown to be a good character but have an evil side.

·         Narrative- The narrative used is usually non-linear as they usually contain flashbacks to show the character role in other parts of the film.

·         Props- the props usually used are not physically violent so things like weapons aren’t used however things like mirrors and everyday household items if it is set in a house.

·         Setting- The setting is usually a realistic place like in a house or a main road with houses, It has a dark mysterious and old feeling to it which is portrayed by different shot types.

·         Sounds- tension is built with music building up by making it louder or high pitch also main the diegetic sounds don’t necessarily fit with what is happening in the shot to create mystery

Levi Strauss Theory

BINARY OPPOSITIONS

Basically Levi Strauss theory is that the conflict is based around the binary opposites and that the binary opposites are the central climax of a narrative structure.

In my chosen genre I think that vulnerable vs strong would be a key opposition as it links to boy vs girl as the girl is usually the vulnerable one and the strong character is the male who dominates. This links to the ‘Final Girl’ this is when the women is signified as vulnerable but they mostly has a masculine personality and has behaviours that confronts with social expectations.

Certificate rating

We have decided to make our opening scene to be appropriate for the rating of 15. This means that this is only suitable for people aged 15 and older. It is illegal to supply a VHS, DVD, Blue-ray, UMD, video game, or film tickets with a 15 certificate to anyone under hat age.

We made this decision after looking at existing horror films and their rating but more importantly why they have those rating. After doing this it helped us to understand what makes a specific horror film a specific rating.

Research on transitions

 

180 degree rule – This states that everything happens in the half circle in front of the camera , which marks the centre line this stops the actors look as if they are looking in different direction from shot to shot for no apparent reason. This rule is only broken when the progress of action is clear. This ensures the same space is describes in every shot and the characters positions are not reversed.

It keeps the direction the same when following a character. The camera must stay on one side of the imaginary line bisecting the characters.

Shot/reverse shot – one shot looks down one end of the central line between two characters the next shot is from the other end, this is commonly used with dialogue. This is often referred to as ‘over the shoulder’ shot. This is also effective with showing facial expressions.

Match- on action – a character begins to move in one shot, we see continuation of this movement in next shot. This can also help to create the illusion of the lapse of time e.g. we see a shot of a car leaving then cut to a shot of it ‘arriving’ at its destination.